Applied and Environmental Microbiology via PubMed Archives - Astrobiology

Metabolic reconstruction of major pathways in Synechococcus MAGs. The draft genomes for free-living and sponge-associated Synechococcus from NCBI were compared with the two MAGs from the anoxic YBH layer. The number or percentage of KEGG genes in these genomes was illustrated to mediate the metabolic network. α-Glucose-1P: α-Glucose-1-phosphate; G6P: α-D-Glucose 6-phosphate; F6P: D-Fructose 6-phosphate; FBP: D-Fructose 1,6-bisphosphate; 3-PG: 3-Phospho-D-glycerate; 1,3-BPG: 1,3-Bisphospho-D-glycerate; GAP: Glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate; Ribose-5P: Ribose 5-phosphate; Ribulose-5P: D-Ribulose 5-phosphate; Ribulose 1,5P2: D-Ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate; Fructose 1,6P2: D-Fructose 1,6-bisphosphate; Xylulose-5P: D-Xylulose 5-phosphate; PEP: Phosphoenolpyruvate; 2-PG: 2-Phospho-D-glycerate; DHAP: dihydroxyacetone phosphate. GY3P: glycerol-3-phosphate; GlcNAc-1-P: N-Acetyl-alpha-D-glucosamine 1-phosphate; GlcNAc-6-P: N-Acetyl-D-glucosamine 6-phosphate; GlcN-6-P: D-Glucosamine 6-phosphate. -- Applied and Environmental Microbiology

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Anoxia-adapted Cyanobacteria In A Marine Blue Hole

by Keith CowingMarch 26, 2026March 26, 2026

Vertical transmission of marine particles brings ocean surface cyanobacteria into the deep ocean, where heterotrophic cyanobacterial lineages probably evolve to adapt to new environments even in oxygen-depleted zones.

LEA of microbial communities from torus room waters and other environmental samples. Symbol “+” indicates the positions of the samples analyzed in this study, together with the sample names (TW1, TW2, SW, SS, RW, and SO). -- Environmental Microbiology

Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Radiation, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Sample Return, Status Report

Studying Bacteria That Live Inside A Damaged Radioactive Nuclear Power Station

by Keith CowingFebruary 14, 2026February 14, 2026

A major incident occurred at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station following the tsunami triggered by the Tohoku–Pacific Ocean Earthquake in March 2011, whereby seawater entered the torus room in […]

Photos of tested material surfaces and their corresponding three-dimensional (3D) topography. Z-axis labels represent the surface height range. Some 3D scan lengths were limited to 100 µm due to data point constraints. -- Environmental Microbiology via PubMed

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Susceptibility Of Microbes To far-UVC Light (222 nm) On Spacecraft And Cleanroom Surfaces

by Keith CowingFebruary 9, 2026February 9, 2026

Far-UVC light (222 nm) is an emerging decontamination tool with potential for spacecraft assembly applications due to its strong germicidal efficacy and minimal risk to human health.

Using a microscope inside a research lab on Mars - Grok via Astrobiology.com

Astrobiology (general), Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Microbiology & Virology, Space Life Science, Status Report, Terraforming & Geoengineering, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Planetary Microbiology: Microbes, Planets, And The Search For Life

by Keith CowingOctober 4, 2025October 4, 2025

Life on Earth has been shaped by transformative microbial innovations and singularities that redefined planetary systems, from oxygenic photosynthesis to biological nitrogen fixation.

Rubisco form II structural differences between T. arctica UC1 and H. marinus. (A) AlphaFold-generated structures for H. marinus (transparent white) and T. arctica UC1 (dark blue) Rubisco form II dimers. Active sites are colored red. Arrows point to the additional exposed active site residues in UC1 compared to H. marinus. The missing residues in UC1 at amino acid positions 78–82 (Fig. 4) are colored yellow on H. marinus structure (a close-up view in B). (C) UC1 form II dimer with residue differences to H. marinus that confer a semi-conservative or non-conservative change highlighted in orange. -- Applied and Environmental Microbiology via PubMed

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Chemoautotrophy In Subzero Environments And The Potential For Cold-adapted Rubisco

by Keith CowingJune 9, 2025June 9, 2025

The act of fixing inorganic carbon into the biosphere is largely facilitated by one enzyme, Rubisco. Beyond well-studied plants and cyanobacteria, many bacteria use Rubisco for chemolithoautotrophy in extreme environments […]